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Blades (Skyrim)
Blades are a faction of former protectors of the Emperor of Tamriel. In the First Era, however, Blades took the role of Dragon hunters. After the return of Alduin and beginning of the Dragon Crisis, Blades take on this role again. After the events of Oblivion Crisis and the Great War, the order of Blades had fallen into a great disrepair. The few remaining remnants of this once glorious order have gone into hiding and are being hunted by the Thalmor after their near extermination by the Aldmeri Dominion. History Origins The story of Blades begin with the Akavir invasion during the First Era. After the Akavir forces had fought through Skyrim and reached the Pale Pass, they were met by Reman Cyrodiil and his forces. It is said that after hearing the Emperors voice, Akavir forces knelled down and sweared a fealty to him, whom they called Dragonborn. They later formed the order that is now known as Blades.The Rise and Fall of the BladesThe Book of the Dragonborn The true reasons of their invasion remains a mystery, it is mentioned however, that they may have been looking for a new Dragonborn to serve or hunting down the Dragons who escaped their continent. Downfall The Oblivion Crisis marked the beginning of the Blades downfall. With the death of Uriel Septim VII and his sons, the Third Era came to a close. With no Dragonborn ruler to serve, the order fortifyed themselves within Cloud Ruler Temple. The Blades' role as the Emperors guard was taken over by the Penitus Oculatus. The Blades continued to work in secret, watching for a new Dragonborn and guarding the Empire. The Blades were among the first to see the growing threat of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion. Unlike the Penitus Oculatus, the Blades were not bound to Imperial policy and could opperate freely, and thus earned the lasting hatred of the Thalmor. Late in 4E 175 the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion signed the White-Gold Concordat, ending the Great War. One of the requirments of the Concordat was the disbandment of the Blades, thus ending the order's public face and forcing them into hiding.The Great War Headquarters Throughout the history Blades were known to have their headquarters in Cloud Ruler Temple, in Cyrodiil. Unfortunately, sometime during the Great War, the temple was destroyed by a Thalmor siege and nearly all members of the defending Blades were slain.Bolar's Writ During the Dragon Crisis the remaining members of Blades in Skyrim found refuge in Sky Haven Temple. It was there where the rebirth of the order began. Sky Haven Temple was built by the Akavir themselves. It served as an outpost during the Akaviri invasion during the late First Era. After the war, the temple was visited by Reman II himself, In the presence of all the Dragonguard created a blood seal to seal off the temple. With the seal, the doors of the temple could only be opened by another Dragonborn.Annals of the Dragonguard Members While most of the Blades died during the Great War, a few managed to escape the Thalmor. While it is unknown exactly how many Blades remain, there are three known Blades who made it into Skyrim. Delphine Delphine took the role the of Grandmaster of the Blades, as she was one of the last remaining members operating in Skyrim. She is a high-priority target for the Thalmor. During the Great War, she evaded several attempts on her life. She returned to Skyrim to hide, remaining alert to the surveillance of the Thalmor.Thalmor Dossier: Delphine Esbern Esbern is a Blade Archivist. He has been monitoring the ancient prophecies of Tamriel and had predicted the return of the Dragons under Alduin, the Nordic God of Destruction, whose return would lead to the destruction of Nirn. As an Archivist, he knows a great deal about the nature of the Dragon threat in Skyrim. Acilius Bolar Acilius was a Knight Brother and the only known survivor of the siege on Cloud Ruler Temple. After his escape he left for Skyrim hoping to hide from Thalmor, but was cornered in Bloated Man's Grotto where he was killed. His Oathblade can be found there, next to his writ. Related Quests Main Quest Line *Bleak Falls Barrow *The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller *A Blade in the Dark *Diplomatic Immunity *A Cornered Rat *Alduin's Wall *Season Unending Side Quests *Paarthurnax *Recruit Followers Radiant Quests Radiant quests are reoccurring and can be completed unlimited times. *Kill the Dragon Interactions As the loyal servants of the Dragonborn throughout the ages, Blades play a vital role in the main quest line of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. First Contact The first contanct with the Blades is made when the Dragonborn tries to recover the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller. Instead of the horn, Dragonborn finds a note, asking to rent a room in the Sleeping Giant Inn. Once it is done, they are met by Delphine, who had previously taken the horn to lure the Dragonborn here. This was done so she could see if the rumor of a new Dragonborn was a trap laid by Thalmor. Dragonslaying After Delphine meets the Dragonborn, she remains unconvinced of his abilities and reveals that she had seen the Dragonstone, recovered earlier by the Dragonborn himself. Translated by Farengar, the stone had given Delphine a location of a dragon burial site, where another Dragon could have been arisen. To test Dragonborn's abilities she decided to investigate the site near Kynesgrove, inviting the Dragonborn to come with her. After the site has been reached and the Dragon slain, Delphine witnesses Dragonborn's ability to consume Dragon Souls. After being convinced that they are a true Dragonborn, returned to the Sleeping Giant Inn, she reveals that she is one of the last surviving Blades. Saving the Archivist Not knowing the cause of the Dragon Crisis, Delphine sends the Dragonborn to infiltrate Thalmor Embassy. With the help of a servant, dark elf, Malborn, Dragonborn succeed in their mission. The Embassy, however, hold no information on who is to blame for Dragon return. Fortunately, the Dragonborn recovers a document stating that an old Blades archivist, Esbern, is alive and hiding in the Ratway, sewers beneath town of Riften. Surprised that the old man is still alive, Delphine sends the Dragonborn to rescue him. Slaying a Thralmor search party, the Dragonborn saves Esbern just in time and convinces him to follow, to meet up with Delphine back in the Inn. New Home After Esbern have met Delphine, he tells the Dragonborn of an ancient Akarvir temple located in Skyrim. The temple is said to contain the Alduin's Wall, showing an ancient prophecy of Alduin's return. After this story both Blades and the Dragonborn begin a journey to the temple. Facing a resistance of Forsworn in the Karthspire the group fight their way through and finally reach the door to the Sky Haven Temple. The temple, however, is sealed. Esbern makes a guess, that only Dragonborn's blood could open the door and this proves to be true, as the Dragonborn's blood drop on the lock. After the door to the temple is opened, Delphine and Esbern allow the Dragonborn to have the honor of entering it first. After a quick examination of the wall Esbern reveals that the Dragonsreach was originally designed to capture and house a Dragon. Esbern decides to remain and study the Wall throughly, and Delphine takes on the role of acting Grandmaster, expressing her wish to restore the order and repair the temple. Peace If the Civil War quest line is not completed, Blades will be invited to participate in sighing of a peace treaty between Stormcloaks and the Empire. Fed up with arguing, Esbern will give a speech about both sides are putting their lesser conflicts before the great danger of the Dragon problem. This will calm everyone and render signing of the truce possible. After the Dragonborn has completed the main quest line, Blades will ask them to slay the Dragon Paarthurnax, leader of the Greybeards. The Dragonborn is not required to fulfill this request, but the Blades will stop any co-operation with the Dragonborn until Paarthurnnax is dead. Recruits After arriving at Sky Haven Temple, Delphine will offer to help with restoring the Blades. Up to three followers may be brought to Delphine to have them inducted into the Blades. The recruits will receive a complete set of Blades Armor and a Blades Sword. Most followers can join the Blades once they are taken to Delphine. When they are joined into the order, they will move into the temple and make it their new place of residence. After three followers have been inducted into the order, Delphine will send the Dragonborn to Esbern, who will provide the locations of Dragons to hunt. Archivist's Services Esbern will offer an option to hunt Dragons. The new Blades recruits will always help with this quest and spawn nearby the Dragon's location. After completing the first Dragon hunt, Esbern will exchange Esbern's Potion for one Dragon Bone and Dragon Scales. This potion will give Dragonborn the pemanent ability, Dragon Infusion, which will reduce melee damage recieved from Dragons by 25%. Through dialogue, Esbern will also offer Dragonslayer's Blessing, an ability that grants a 10% increased critical hit chance versus Dragons for 5 days. Trivia *Fultheim may be another Blades survivor. He is found in Nightgate Inn and is seen carrying Blades Sword. Bugs * Quest "Kill the Dragon" is be impossible to complete if the given location have already been cleared. Blades recruits will become stuck there. Appearances * * * * References Category:Skyrim: Factions Category:Skyrim: Blades